A Clutch of Dragons: Hub Thread

[Crumplepunch]

I don't really want to spam the forum by posting a new thread every time I finish an Ability, so I'm just going to keep them all here and update the first post.

Also, I'm sick of wrestling with the forum's formatting, so I'm just going to link to google docs. I have given comment permissions, so feel free to comment here or in the docs themselves.

Archery (35 Charms)

Athletics (28 Charms)

Awareness (20 Charms)

Brawl (38 Charms)

Bureaucracy (24 Charms)

Craft (35 Charms)

Dodge (28 Charms)

Integrity (22 Charms)

Investigation (19 Charms)

Larceny (29 Charms)

Linguistics, (23 Charms)

Lore, (26 Charms)

Medicine, (19 Charms)

Melee, (41 Charms)

Occult, (36 Charms)

Performance, (27 Charms)

Presence, (27 Charms)

Resistance, (31 Charms)

Ride, (26 Charms)

Sail, (22 Charms)

Socialize, (28 Charms)

Stealth, (21 Charms)

Survival, (20 Charms)

Thrown, (31 Charms)

War, (35 Charms)

Provisional character creation rules can be found here.

Aspects and animas can be found here.

[wastevens]

Crumblepunch-

If you're interested, I could ping you the Google Sheet and scripts I've been using with the Sidereals stuff, for each of formatting across different forums (and for google doc production).

[Crumplepunch]

Crumblepunch-

If you're interested, I could ping you the Google Sheet and scripts I've been using with the Sidereals stuff, for each of formatting across different forums (and for google doc production).

Thanks for the offer, but I'm not looking to do anything more complicated than a list of Charms, I don't think formatting tools are really necessary.

[Kell_Tamer]

I like meteor impact strike a lot! The visual of a dragon blood becoming this fireball toward their enemy is just awesome! I like that its very powerful but also narrow enough of a focus. Have to be above, have to make it a melee or other close combat attack. Also it has that ground pound feel to it and I love it!

[Ferryman]

Pasiap Falls From Heaven makes me smile.

[Crumplepunch]

I figure I can keep up the work better if I update with a few Charms every day. Subject to edits, of course. Here's the E1 Earth Charms from Awareness.

Edit: [REDACTED]

I remembered why I don't do this; I frequently edit early Charms while working on later ones.

[Crumplepunch]

Alright, Awareness is now done. At 18 Charms it's the shortest tree yet, and the first without an Essence 5 Charm. This one was pretty tough, even more than Athletics there are really very few Awareness based systems to interact with.

I'd really appreciate some feedback on some of these Charms. Comments are enabled on the documents.

[wastevens]

Alright, Awareness is now done. At 18 Charms it's the shortest tree yet, and the first without an Essence 5 Charm. This one was pretty tough, even more than Athletics there are really very few Awareness based systems to interact with.

I'd really appreciate some feedback on some of these Charms. Comments are enabled on the documents.

I'm going through 'em now! You want 'em on the google doc or here?

[Crumplepunch]

I'm going through 'em now! You want 'em on the google doc or here?

I think forum comments are better, for preference.

[wastevens]

I think forum comments are better, for preference.

Noted!

General query; how do you see Dragonblooded Charms that reroll dice interacting with their Excellency? Do they have a 'reroll' cap? I would assume not, but it might be worth spelling out explicitly somewhere.

General comment; I *really* like your approach to the Elemental Aspect problem. Having multiple aspects provide distinct takes on the same ability is a really cool way to cut that particular gordian knot. Plus, it lets you shove Charms into the aspect and ability they naturally fit in, rather than having to be shoehorned into a vaugely aspect appropriate ability.

Unfailing Dragon Glance

I'll maintain; this feels like it should just be a Permanent charm that upgrades the Excellency, rather than a costless reflexive.

Diamond Eyes Awaken

I see your point re: the power- I just also think that pay initiative for a temporary defensive boost in event of an unexpected attack is a dubious prospect. I could easily be off on this, tho.

Inescapable Eye of the Earth

The 'get a bonus if this reroll is the difference between success and failure' is an interesting space, since it makes you want to fail by a narrow margin on the initial roll. I'll suggest it's less interesting in pass/fail checks, just because there's more tension between one good (the benefit of not failing + charm bonus) vs another good (the benefit of not failing + threshold successes) vs one good (not failing + charm bonus) vs a bad (failing)

Echoing Depths Understanding

Strongly approve! Some part of me feels like there should be an upgrade or means to increase the duration to Indefinite while you stay in the same building, so you can know if someone is performing aggressive remodeling.

Distant March Intuition

Solid.

Pulse of the Dragon’s Soul

Solid

Precision Observation Method

Reasonable. About what to expect from entry level charms.

Feeling-the-Air Technique

Daredevil!

Sense-Sharing Technique

This... hrm. It's a cool idea, and I see where you're going, but the execution feels weird. Like, your allies can benefit from Sense-Riding Discipline (even though it's you reading someone's senses.. sort of) and Wind-Lens Optics (even though it's you shaping the air into being a badass wind telescope)... Hrm. I dunno. This one doesn't gel for me.

Sense-Riding Discipline

Solid

Sense-Destroying Method

Again, solid

[Crumplepunch]

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.

General query; how do you see Dragonblooded Charms that reroll dice interacting with their Excellency? Do they have a 'reroll' cap? I would assume not, but it might be worth spelling out explicitly somewhere.

At my table I would say that any non-excellency rerolls (and any other post-roll modifiers, like Precision Observation Method) are done and finalized before they get the opportunity to spend willpower on the excellency. However I don't think letting players decide the order of post-roll effects breaks anything, so I'm not going to make any decisive judgements on it.

General comment; I *really* like your approach to the Elemental Aspect problem. Having multiple aspects provide distinct takes on the same ability is a really cool way to cut that particular gordian knot. Plus, it lets you shove Charms into the aspect and ability they naturally fit in, rather than having to be shoehorned into a vaugely aspect appropriate ability.

Thank you. On that note, Essence Disruption Attack is being relegated to either Earth Lore or Earth Occult, depending on how those trees take shape.

The multi-element approach is going to be challenging later on. In fact, the next ability is going to be one of the toughest. How on earth do you make multiple elemental approaches to Bureaucracy? I have a few ideas and a rough layout of Charms, but I'm not sure if they will come together properly yet.

I'll maintain; this feels like it should just be a Permanent charm that upgrades the Excellency, rather than a costless reflexive.

I guess. I don't think it's particularly significant either way. In game terms it's a non-issue. Changed it.

I see your point re: the power- I just also think that pay initiative for a temporary defensive boost in event of an unexpected attack is a dubious prospect. I could easily be off on this, tho.

The defence boost is a secondary benefit; multiple reflexive defend other actions is the significant power here. I suppose making it cost a wp point instead of 2i makes it cleaner, but I like the image of someone hanging back from the initial round of combat to counter their opponent's hasty assault. It's a little nod to Toph, the primary inspiration of the tree; someone who waits and listens before striking.

The 'get a bonus if this reroll is the difference between success and failure' is an interesting space, since it makes you want to fail by a narrow margin on the initial roll. I'll suggest it's less interesting in pass/fail checks, just because there's more tension between one good (the benefit of not failing + charm bonus) vs another good (the benefit of not failing + threshold successes) vs one good (not failing + charm bonus) vs a bad (failing)

The rerolls are the primary power of this Charm, and its post-roll nature makes it extremely economical. Combining it with Precision Observation Method improves your chances of landing the conditional benefit. It's something that won't happen every session, or even every campaign, but it will be a sweet day when the stars align and the dice come up just right.

Strongly approve! Some part of me feels like there should be an upgrade or means to increase the duration to Indefinite while you stay in the same building, so you can know if someone is performing aggressive remodeling.

Honestly I was a bit worried that it might be OP already. I'll consider it.

As an aside, the problem with a lot of sensory Awareness Charms like this and, say, Unsurpassed Hearing is that they often spoil surprises the ST has planned. This is fine if you are running an old school D&D alike war of attrition against your own GM, but Exalted is more narrative based, and without careful planning, powerful sensory Charms can cut huge holes in your story.

This... hrm. It's a cool idea, and I see where you're going, but the execution feels weird. Like, your allies can benefit from Sense-Riding Discipline (even though it's you reading someone's senses.. sort of) and Wind-Lens Optics (even though it's you shaping the air into being a badass wind telescope)... Hrm. I dunno. This one doesn't gel for me.

Going right back to the beginning of Dragon-Blooded Charms, Air magic has had effects that border on psychic powers, starting at With One Mind. I considered Sense-Riding Discipline and Sense-Destroying Method more suitable in the Air set than Earth, but they needed a bridging Charm to link them more solidly to the rest of Awareness. I also felt time was due to introduce another Terrestrial Reinforcement pastiche, and this was the result of the combination. If you consider that it is a mind-linking effect, the incongruities of sharing senses don't seem so strange.

On the other hand, I wrote Sense-Riding Discipline after this one and neglected to note the complicated interaction. I'm just going to add a clause fiating that one out, because it's going to cause headaches somewhere with litigious tables trying to justify knocking their host's allies comatose or something.

[wastevens]

Spring Follows Winter

I like it I mean, see comments re: it should be permanent not reflexive, but still.

Venom Dragon Fang

I need to be at my book to compare to other poisons, but this seems perfectly cromulent.

Hunter’s Unerring Eye

See, this is right in the sweet spot for Dragonblooded charms- useful and interesting without the raw power of Solar charms. Kudos!

Hornet Calls The Swarm

*thinks* So, if I've got a higher intiative than you, I can shoot you every turn, while also taking my reflexive movement action to maintain distance?
This seems a bit more dubious. I think it'd be fine if it specified that you also gave up your reflexive movement, otherwise I fear it leads to Uncatchable Kite Prana.

Second Swallow Takes the Cricket

Ooh, I like this. If the Dragonblooded crashes a target, does their ally also get the crash bonus?

Harvest of the Hunter

The anima cost on this is barren areas is both harsh and a really cool visual.
I might suggest an upgrade that gives the arrows produced Venom Dragon Fang toxin inherently (or something along those lines).

Falling Raptor Strike

Nice

Unobstructed Hunter’s Aim

Making sure I grok;
Ragara Alice is aiming at Solar Bob, who (cowardly anathema that he is!) cowers behind some fairly Heavy cover at Long range.
Alice spends 1 action aiming, because she has to.
She spends a second action aiming, to get the +3 bonus.
She fires on her third action, activating Unobstructed Hunter's Aim. Bob's cover is reduced to nil, because Alice spent 2 actions aiming.
If so, seems good.

Flower-Within-Flower Maneuver

Whew. Especially in conjunction with my concerns around Hornet Calls the Swarm, this is very powerful. This also feels a bit undercosted to me; although you personally only get the benefit for your next attack, it scales very well in groups. Maybe 2m?

Seven Year Swarm Volley

Eeehhhh... okay, nitpick first, this should be Simple since it's consuming your action.
More actual concern- since the attacker gets to divy their decisive damage up after seeing if the attack hits, this is *very* powerful. Like, 'holy shit' powerful. It's pretty close to 'You will get to land a decisive blow against a single target that you are capable of hitting'.
Even if all you do is pay for the first (Dexterity -1) attacks, that's still imposing a (Dexterity -1) Onslaught penalty- and *then* you activate your Excellency on the last shot, so it doesn't break the metaphorical bank.
Cool idea, but I think you overshot (hah!) the power level on this one.

Nine Blossoms Summer

The cost on this seems a little high; I mean, the damage from most attacks is probably going to be in the 3 to 5 range (unless you're dealing with very lightly armored opposition), which means this will usually just be 1 or 2 extra temporary onslaught.
I'd bump this down to 2m, 1a

Boughs of Fleeting Springtime

NEAT!
This also feels like it should have a mode for making terrain Difficult.

Warden’s Merciful Arrow

Solid; I like charms to give you access to gambits.
I will say, the difficulty to escape seems like it should be based on the Dragonblooded somehow and/or made easier if I've got a hacking tool, rather than being a fixed 5, but that's sort of nitpick.

Splintering Bramble Shot

OUCH. Very nice. This seems like it should be significantly more brutal against battle groups though.

Life-Swelling Sap Strike

Nitpick; this should have the Aggravated keyword. Beyond that, this feels like a *hair* too expensive; maybe drop it to 3m?

Saplings Break the Mountain

Holy *awesome*. That's is sweet!

Thousand Leaves Falling

So, this is basically Splintering Bramble Shot but with the weapon's accuracy and damage?
I mean- I really like the visual here, but it doesn't feel very mechnically distinctive. Also it feels like it should absolutely *ruin* battle groups.

[Crumplepunch]

I like it I mean, see comments re: it should be permanent not reflexive, but still.

My previous response that it makes absolutely no difference also still stands.

I need to be at my book to compare to other poisons, but this seems perfectly cromulent.

It's a little weaker than Arrow Frog Venom to start with, grows stronger at E4+, but does bashing damage.

*thinks* So, if I've got a higher intiative than you, I can shoot you every turn, while also taking my reflexive movement action to maintain distance?
This seems a bit more dubious. I think it'd be fine if it specified that you also gave up your reflexive movement, otherwise I fear it leads to Uncatchable Kite Prana.

Hm, you're on to something there. Yeah, reflexive move action removed.

Ooh, I like this. If the Dragonblooded crashes a target, does their ally also get the crash bonus?

Yep. An earlier version lacked the restriction on crashed allies, but I realized that would be a nightmare given the initiative shift rules.

I might suggest an upgrade that gives the arrows produced Venom Dragon Fang toxin inherently (or something along those lines).

I don't think that's a good idea. Arrows can't be poisoned as written (they lack the Poisonable tag), and the cost of Venom Dragon Fang is congruent with similar effects like the Howling Lotus Strike evocation of Spring Razor (3m). Letting the Dragon-Blood produce arrows with potent toxin as standard gives a powerful free effect to the Dragon-Blood and any friends she chooses to share her envenomed arrows with.

Making sure I grok;
Ragara Alice is aiming at Solar Bob, who (cowardly anathema that he is!) cowers behind some fairly Heavy cover at Long range.
Alice spends 1 action aiming, because she has to.
She spends a second action aiming, to get the +3 bonus.
She fires on her third action, activating Unobstructed Hunter's Aim. Bob's cover is reduced to nil, because Alice spent 2 actions aiming.
If so, seems good.

This is correct. It's much weaker than the Solar entry Charm Wise Arrow but the cap breaking double 8s on rerolls can potentially give it greater accuracy in a heavily invested shot.

Whew. Especially in conjunction with my concerns around Hornet Calls the Swarm, this is very powerful. This also feels a bit undercosted to me; although you personally only get the benefit for your next attack, it scales very well in groups. Maybe 2m?

It interacts well with Hornet Calls the Swarm, but it's really not worth 2m. Compare Solar Brawl's Falling Hammer Strike, E1, costing 1m, and much stronger.

Eeehhhh... okay, nitpick first, this should be Simple since it's consuming your action.

It's a supplemental Charm enhancing a Decisive attack to launch multiple arrows. Making it Simple would change its function.

More actual concern- since the attacker gets to divy their decisive damage up after seeing if the attack hits, this is *very* powerful. Like, 'holy shit' powerful. It's pretty close to 'You will get to land a decisive blow against a single target that you are capable of hitting'.
Even if all you do is pay for the first (Dexterity -1) attacks, that's still imposing a (Dexterity -1) Onslaught penalty- and *then* you activate your Excellency on the last shot, so it doesn't break the metaphorical bank.
Cool idea, but I think you overshot (hah!) the power level on this one.

I've written it poorly then, because this was not my intent. The Charm enhances only a single decisive attack, it just happens to be composed of multiple arrows. If they (collectively, as single attack) hit, the initiative can then be divided up between multiple gambits, finished off by a damaging attack.

The cost on this seems a little high; I mean, the damage from most attacks is probably going to be in the 3 to 5 range (unless you're dealing with very lightly armored opposition), which means this will usually just be 1 or 2 extra temporary onslaught.
I'd bump this down to 2m, 1a

Hm, you may be right. My feeling is that most opponents will have trouble dealing with face a nasty moment of weakness from a combination of this Charm and Flower-Within-Flower Maneuver. I see the concern, and I'll fiddle with the balance a bit. I'll need to test this one in real play.

NEAT!
This also feels like it should have a mode for making terrain Difficult.

Good idea, I'll add it in.

OUCH. Very nice. This seems like it should be significantly more brutal against battle groups though.

Yeah, maybe. Dropped it to double 8s on damage, don't really want to go beyond that.

Nitpick; this should have the Aggravated keyword.

Huh, missed that it was a keyword now. Seems needless. More than one Charm that uses aggravated damage is missing it, and almost all of the Charms that do use it also mention that they do Aggravated damage in the Charm text anyway. Oh well, may as well.

Beyond that, this feels like a *hair* too expensive; maybe drop it to 3m?

Ehhhh... I guess so. I suppose aggravated damage won't be a significant factor in most combat encounters, and without it the Decisive effect is limited. 3m then.

So, this is basically Splintering Bramble Shot but with the weapon's accuracy and damage?
I mean- I really like the visual here, but it doesn't feel very mechnically distinctive. Also it feels like it should absolutely *ruin* battle groups.

Yeah, I guess it's quite similar, except that it can follow up with a Decisive. Do you have a suggestion?

[Ferryman]

I don't think that's a good idea. Arrows can't be poisoned as written (they lack the Poisonable tag)

I wouldn't hang any justification on this at all, frankly. Poisoned arrows are 1) in-genre, and 2) actual real-life things that exist. There are a lot of other weapons in the book that also lack the Poisonable tag that pretty obviously should have it, too. As a matter of fact, the Dart, Needle, and Shuriken are literally the only weapons that do have it, which is silly. So...I can't poison my dagger because it doesn't say I can, despite the fact that poisoned daggers are a common genre convention? No. It seems pretty clear here that the tag was largely forgotten by the writers and should also be forgotten by the players.

Not commenting on the Charm in question, mind you. Just pointing out that the lack of the Poisonable tag should be taken to mean little, if anything.

[wonderandawe]

Whoa, no posion arrows?

Off to the what breaks thread....